XL Center: Fixes For 10 More Years, Questions For The Future

HARTFORD — The agency in charge of the XL Center is recommending that $35 million in state funding be spent on nearly three dozen improvementsfor the aging arena, ranging from cup holders to new premium seating.

But tucked into the recommendations from the Capital Region Development Authority is one that is sure to ignite debate: a study to determine if the 38-year-old venue has a future beyond the new, 10-year management contract with Global Spectrum or whether the 16,000-seat arena and exhibition hall should be replaced.

A CRDA report to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy containing the recommendations says the improvements are needed to keep the XL Center competitive with newer, larger arenas.

"Regardless, a longer term vista is also necessary to avoid the proverbial 'bad money after good' danger and to align the budgetary, political and practical ingredients to sustain any civic center long term," the report said. A study assessing the venue's future "is also recommended in order to update the existing studies and advance a replacement strategy for the XL Center."

The quasi-public CRDA's dilemma is one often faced by operators of aging entertainment venues: it's essential to know the long-term prospects to determine how much to invest now to keep the existing venue profitable without overspending.

The renovations now contemplated for the XL Center would be completed in two phases stretching over at least two years.

The first, already underway, calls for $2.5 million in improvements financed by Global Spectrum as part of its contract agreement. Workers willinstall about 150 flat-screen TVs, create more space for the sale of merchandise, renovate concession areas, and replace a curtain used to reduce the size of the arena for smaller events. Global Spectrum, which took over July 1, also is funding researchof the building and its mechanical systems.

The second phase, which could start in the spring, would cost $35 million and be financed by the state. The legislature and Malloy backed the expenditure, but State Bond Commission approval is still needed.

CRDA has recommended that the money be spent on newloge seating, refurbished locker rooms, a modern "green room" for performers, improved lighting, the possible addition of more restrooms, overhaul of existing restrooms, more powerful Wi-Fi service, marquees facing either Church or Ann streets, andnew scoreboards at opposite ends of the arena.

Another recommendation would remove the doors between the concourse and the arena to make it easier for ticket holders to buy food and drinks without feeling they are missing part of the event. Newer arenas have concession areas inside the arena.

Michael W. Freimuth, the CRDA's executive director, said the improvements outlined in the report are intended to boost revenues and cut back on expenses — and are roughly equivalent to the state's investment of $38 million — about $2.7 million a year between 1993 and 2007.

"The thought here is this is what we have to do to make sure the building has 10 years of productivity left," Freimuth said.

New Arena? New Site?

The state-funded study assessing the XL Center's long-term viability could conclude that the existing arena, built in 1975 and expanded after a roof collapse three years later, could be made over into a state-of-the-art venue, or rebuilt elsewhere, as some have suggested in the past.

CRDA's report ticks off obstacles facing the XL Center in a decade.The building has one-third the land needed for a modern facility and is 185,000 square feet smaller than the average AHL arena, and expansion options are limited. No matter how much money is spent, only so much can be done with the layout, such as the narrow concourse. And it will not "achieve major league (NHL) acceptance," the report says.

"Such an exercise, however, is beyond the immediate and will require a more thorough understanding," the report says.

The future of the XL Center — formerly the Hartford Civic Center — has been tossed around for years, often in connection with major league hockey.

In the past decade, efforts to return the NHL to Hartford have ended in failure, most recently with Howard Baldwin's vision for a $105 million XL Center redevelopment, more than a decade after the NHL's Hartford Whalers left. Before that, Northland Investment Corp.'s plan for a new arena went nowhere.

The stakes are high for Hartford. Competition for concerts has intensified, with the rise of entertainment venues at Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods and now the prospect of a casino and entertainment venues in Western Massachusetts.

But a new arena also could cost at least $400 million, Freimuth said.

Overheated Bieber Fans

This summer's Justin Bieber concert came during a punishing heat wave that tested the XL Center's air conditioning system. One of the six air handlers that blows cooled air into the arena failed part way through the concert.